Dear Mr. President
"Dear Mr. President" is a song by P!nk featuring the Indigo Girls, and was recorded for P!nk’s fourth album, I'm Not Dead. The song is an open letter to then President of the United States, George W. Bush. The song criticizes several areas of Bush’s administration and terms in office, including the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind Act, disapproval of equal rights for homosexuals, lack of empathy for poor and middle class citizens, Bush’s strong religious beliefs, and Bush’s drinking and drug usage in college. P!nk felt that it was one of the most important songs she had ever written. Background Prior to the album's release, P!nk talked to MTV about the song, explaining that, "I hope the president is proud of the fact that we live in a country where we can do things like that, where we can have dissent, talk, communicate and share our opinions. I also think it's pretty narcissistic to think that one of my songs will be heard by the president of the United States, but hey, that would be really cool."Pink Pens An Open Letter To President Bush On New Album - MTV Speaking to Songfacts ''about the collaboration, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls stated: In January 2017, P!nk was asked by a fan via Twitter if she would release an updated version of "Dear Mr. President" in lieu of the controversial election of Donald Trump as president, to which she replied, "There aren't words for this shameful person."Pink: Will She Update 'Mr. President' for Donald Trump? | Billboard Controversy When P!nk appeared on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the album, she thanked Kimmel prior to performing the song because many radio stations would not even let her talk about it because of its anti-Bush lyricism: "I have to thank you so much (because) you’re the only show that’s not afraid of letting me sing 'Dear Mr. President.' ... I can’t even speak about it on radio."Jimmy Kimmel Live - Pink - Video Dailymotion She added that: The unofficial ban prompted speculation that P!nk's music would be boycotted on radio, similarly to the Dixie Chicks, who were vocal onstage about their opposition to Bush's presidency and the Iraq War.Pink’s attack on Bush banned from radio stations · PinkNews While promoting her fifth studio album, Funhouse, P!nk provided some further clarification on the background of the song: "It wasn’t just like, 'I’m going to just do something political. I’m going to attack Bush.' It was a questioning song. It was sung in an innocent way. I actually toured it all over the world and the only place I got booed was Anaheim."Pink Discusses 'So What' And 'Dear Mr. President' | popdirt.com Release P!nk stated that "Dear Mr. President" would never be released as a single in the United States, because "it was too important to be perceived as a publicity stunt."Welcome to P!nk Fans! - On Election Day, P!nk’s “Dear Mr. President” Performance Is Especially Relevant It was, however, released as a single in Europe, Australia and Canada on December 21, 2006. Critical reception The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly's Chris Williams praised "Dear Mr. President" for "its incongruous folkie social concern and Bush-baiting applause lines."I'm Not Dead - Entertainment Weekly The'' Los Angeles Times''' Natalie Nichols wrote that P!nk "taps her inner Ani DiFranco on the confrontational 'Dear Mr. President.'"Think of Pink as a spectrum - latimes The New York Times' Jon Pareles noted that the song is "well meaning," "hectoring," and that it "grows even more sententious."Critic's Choice - New CD's - NYTimes.com PopMatters similarly praised the song, writing: Rolling Stone's Barry Walters praised P!nk for "writing a scathing letter in 'Dear Mr. President'" and "cooing righteous folk harmonies with Indigo Girls."I'm Not Dead - Rolling Stone Sal Cinquemani of Slant was mixed, writing that "'Dear Mr. President,' which cleverly uses George W. Bush's own words against him, pales next to M!ssundaztood's 'My Vietnam.'"Pink I’m Not Dead | Album Review | Slant Magazine Live performances P!nk performed "Dear Mr. President" live for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 10, 2007. The song was also performed during the I'm Not Dead Tour, and was later included on the tour's DVD, ''Live from Wembley Arena London, England''. It was also performed on select dates of the Funhouse Tour, although it was not included on the tour's subsequent DVD release. In 2012, P!nk performed it at the iTunes Festival in London; the performance was later included on an EP featuring recordings from the concert. She also sang it the following month during her VH1 Storytellers ''special, although the performance was an online exclusive.P!nk Storytellers - Dear Mr. President - PET - YouTube Music video The video of P!nk's performance of the song live from Wembley Arena was added to the VH1 line-up of videos. P!nk - Dear Mr. President (from Live from Wembley Arena, London, England) Track listing * '''Digital Single' # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18 # "Dear Mr. President" from Wembley Arena – 4:45 # "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" Live – 4:44 * UK Collector's Set CD1 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Dear Mr. President" from Wembley Arena – 4:45 # "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" Live – 4:44 # "Dear Mr. President" Video – 5:00 * UK Collector's Set CD2 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18 # "Dear Mr. President" Live – 4:45 # "Live From Wembley Trailer" Video – 0:59 * Germany Collector's Set CD1 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Dear Mr. President" from Wembley Arena – 4:45 # "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" – 3:18 # "Live From Wembley Trailer" Video – 0:59 * Germany Collector's Set CD2 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Who Knew" From Wembley Arena – 3:29 # "Dear Mr. President" from Wembley Arena – 4:45 * Australian Tour Collector's Set CD1 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "Who Knew" From Wembley Arena – 3:30 # "Dear Mr. President" From Wembley Arena – 4:45 # "On The Road With P!nk" Video – 10:00 * Australian Tour Collector's Set CD2 # "Dear Mr. President" – 4:33 # "U + Ur Hand" From Wembley Arena – 4:39 # "Dear Mr. President" Video – 5:00 # "Live From Wembley Trailer" Video – 1:00 Lyrics Charts Year-end charts Certifications Personnel * Vocals – P!nk and Indigo Girls * Backing vocals – Emily Saliers and Amy Ray * Mixing – Al Clay * Pro tools – Christopher Rojas * Guitar – Emily Saliers * Production coordinator – Lana Israel References Category:Songs Category:Songs from I'm Not Dead Category:Singles Category:Singles from I'm Not Dead Category:Songs from Greatest Hits... So Far!!!